Fire and Ice
by CereuleanBlue
Summary: Bella and Edward are college students from two different worlds, total opposites, fire and ice. When they meet, fire burns and ice melts for an interesting reaction.


Chapter: 1

Title: Fire and Ice

_For MeiSun, winner of my Support Stacie Author Auction, September 2009_

_I know you were kind of free with your request, so I hope this is everything that you wanted and more._

_Parts of this story were inspired by some umm. . .interesting Twitter conversations I held late at night with some girly friends of mine. This Bella is loosely based on me when I was in high school. Hope you enjoy._

_Disclaimer: All things Twilight belong to Stephenie Meyer. _

_This fic includes some underage drinking by college students. I neither encourage nor condone underage drinking, but I do confess to doing more than my fair share of it as a college student (not too long ago). _

_Now that I have the legal stuff out of the way, on with the story . . ._

-x-x-x-

The lights dimmed in the enormous auditorium, and the hum of a projector warming up caused a hush to settle across the room. Bella Swan sat attentively in her front row seat, pen at the ready. At the rear of the auditorium the door opened noisily revealing a young man with tousseled copper hair. He laughed rather loudly at whatever his companion, a tall, leggy blonde, was whispering in his ear. The professor flared at him from his place behind the podium, and Bella rolled her eyes back into her skull.

_Of course __he__ would try to attract as much attention to himself as possible. As if everyone isn't looking at him already. I'd just love to get my hands in that hair . . . _

_Shut up Bella!_

The first time she had laid eyes on him, she knew she hated him. She'd been sitting out on the grass reading the novel she was assigned for English Lit, and he came walking across the lawn look like something out of a J Crew catalogue. His sunglasses were perched delicately on his gorgeous face, and his teeth shone like diamonds in the sunlight when he smiled at the group of cheerleaders practicing about twenty yards away from where she sat.

_Love to lick that smile off his face . . . _

_Shut up Bella!_

They all tittered and giggled after he passed them, and Bella heard a name being passed around from girl to girl at they chattered.

"Edward Cullen."

_Cullen? Why does that name sound familiar?_

It finally occurred to her that it was the name of the building where the medical students' classes were held. She'd gone to the building that afternoon to read the plaque that hung on the wall just outside the entrance.

_This building is dedicated to Dr. Carlisle Cullen, class of 2002, Dartmouth Medical School_

Bella decided that this Dr. Carlisle Cullen was too young to be _his_ father. Must be some other relative. Perhaps a cousin.

She refused to call _him_ by his name. In her mind he became the archetype for everything that she hated about her Ivy League Education. Popular, gorgeous, rich, sexy, gorgeous . . .

Bella Swan was from the small town of Forks, Washington, and she had spent most of the past twelve years trying to get out of it. When she was old enough to look around and really see what was going on, she realized that most of the people who remained in Forks did so because they had no other choice. She excluded her father from that category in her mind.

He had been the sheriff of the small town since before her birth, and somehow, Bella had always known that he stayed in Forks out of love for the town itself more than any other reason. He protected the town as fiercely as he did his own child. Her mother, on the other hand, had gotten out of Forks before the ink on the divorce papers was dry.

Bella had always been determined to give herself the option to leave when the time came. Her parents would never have been able to afford to send her to college. It was nearly all her father could do to keep them comfortable back in Forks, and her mother's salary as a kindergarten teacher would never be able to provide enough extra cash to cover tuition. She began joining any and every scholarship program offered at Forks Middle and High Schools, and thanks to her SAT scores, before she was in the eleventh grade Bella had been offered a full scholarship to nearly every school she had every heard of. She chose Dartmouth because it was the Ivy League school farthest away from Forks that offered her a free ride.

When she had arrived at Dartmouth, it surprised her just how much of a little fish in a big pond she had become. Back in Forks, she had been the average. Here in New Hampshire, she was well below. It was obvious to her that most of the others here had come from east coast families with old money, and neither of her parents had inherited more than a few odds and ends when their parents had passed away.

Immediately, Bella felt ostracized. Her own roommate Caryn was one of the many people she felt were looking down their noses at her. Caryn had come from a prominent family in New Hampshire. Her grandfather had been the governor for eight years. The closet they shared in the small dorm room had been nearly taken over by Caryn's vast wardrobe, and Bella's meager collection of jeans and t-shirts occupied a lonely corner of the cramped space.

Bella found herself gravitating towards the other students who were on the fringes of life here, and when she began her work study position in the tutoring center, she finally felt surrounded by kindred souls. Everyone here was on a scholarship or student loans, and not a single one belonged to one of the Greek organizations that dominated life on campus. Her roommate of course had gushed about her plans to rush as soon as the season began.

"Now class, it's time to begin. This morning we will be discussing in depth the Krebb's Cycle." The professor's voice woke Bella out of her memories. She focused her attention on the front of the Biology lecture hall quickly jotting down the notes the ancient man began projecting onto the screen near the high ceiling of the room.

About halfway through the hour, a cell phone began ringing in the back of the enormous room. The students there had been so quiet that the noise was almost deafening in the silence. Bella jumped at the sudden sound, and turned to see _him_ leaving the auditorium quickly, his phone held to his ear. She huffed, pushing her glasses up on her nose before returning her attention to the lecture.

At the end of the class, she quickly fell behind Eric, one of her new friends from the tutoring center.

"Hey, Eric," she called softly walking up behind him. "Did you see Cullen leaving class with that cell phone glued to his ear? I guess he couldn't be bothered to turn it off, even for an hour." _Or he could just turn it on vibrate. . . _

_Mmm, vibrate . . ._

_Where's my phone?_

_Shut up Bella!_

"I don't know Bella. He looked like something was wrong . . . "

"Oh, come off it, Eric. It was probably one of those sorority sluts he's always hanging around with."

Eric laughed. "Yeah. Wonder if he'd be willing to let me have a couple of their phone numbers? Just for safe keeping."

Bella slapped his arm playfully and laughed along with him. "You know the only reason they would call you is to get help with their midterm papers."

_Wonder if __he__ needs any help with his midterms . . ._

_Hopefully with human anatomy . .._

_Shut up!_

"Oh, I'd love to help them alright . . . ." He grinned a little predatorily. "Gotta go Bella, comp sci calls. See you this afternoon."

"Later." She waved as they parted ways. Today was a Wednesday, and her next class didn't start until one this afternoon. Bella decided to take advantage of her free time by wandering the stacks of the library. She loved the smell of the books that line the walls. Slowly, she made her way down the cramped stairs to one of the underground levels that housed the works of fiction that were part of the library's extensive collection.

She knew her way around the floor by heart, and her feet took her instinctively to the shelves that held the works of Jane Austen. For some reason, she felt a craving for the familiar word of _Pride and Prejudice. _Deep down in her heart she identified with Elizabeth Bennett, and her heart still thrilled a little when Elizabeth finally realized she was in love with Mr. Darcy.

She found the book easily, and she ran her fingers along the leather spine feeling the indentations of the letters lined with gold foil.

_I wonder if __he__ ever comes down here. It would be pretty funny to find him in the stacks . . ._

_It would be even better to kiss him in the stacks . . ._

_What?_

_You heard me . . ._

_Shut up!_

Bella's phone rang, vibrating silently in her pocket. She pulled it out quickly glancing at the caller ID. It read simply one word: Alice. She flipped open the phone and held it to her ear.

"Hey, Al."

"Hey, B. Listen, one of the girls from my hometown is throwing a little party tonight, and I was hoping you could go with."

Bella groaned, "You know how much I _hate_ parties."

"Aww, come on. I need someone to make sure I get home in one piece." Bella snorted. Alice was the best friend she had made during her entire college career. They were suitemates. While she and Caryn shared a bedroom, Alice and her roommate Jessica shared the room on the other side of their single bathroom. Bella had helped Alice clean up on more than one occasion when she came home after having a little too much to drink. Alice was a party animal, but she was unfailingly sweet to Bella, who couldn't help but love her slightly crazy suitemate.

The thought struck Bella to ask Caryn if she would mind if Bella and Jessica switched rooms. Jess and Caryn both harbored ambitions to join the same sorority, and Bella made a mental note to discuss her idea with Alice later tonight.

"Alright, but I refuse to have any fun," Bella said grudgingly. She heard a little squeal on the other end of the line. "And I will _not_ let you dress me."

"Grrr." Alice growled into the phone. "Fine, I guess just getting you to go at all is a tribute to my skills at negotiation."

Bella smiled to herself. "You're going to make a great lawyer someday. See you tonight. I gotta get to work."

"Meet me in the hall at seven sharp."

"See you then." Bella folded the phone and crammed it into her jeans pocket.

Bella took one last glance at herself in the mirror. The October air was beginning to chill, and Bella pulled a black hoodie on over her t-shirt and jeans combo before stepping out into the hall. As soon as she opened the door, a hand reached in grabbing her arm and pulling her though into the corridor.

"Oh, is that seriously what you are wearing, B?" Alice crossed her arms over her chest knitting her brows together in consternation.

"What's wrong with it?" Bella looked down at her body checking to ensure there were no holes or rips in her clothes.

"Oh, nothing if you're going to the library, but it's a party! Don't you _want_ to dress up?" Alice had a pleading look in her eyes, and she clasped her hands together as if begging Bella to let Alice take her back in the room and give her a makeover.

"No," Bella answered flatly, and Alice threw up her hands in a gesture of surrender.

"Come on, let's go." Alice grabbed Bella's hand and drug her towards the stairs.

A couple of hours later, Bella found herself planed firmly in one of the large easy chairs in the small living room of someone's apartment. She was flanked on her left by Eric and on her right with some girl passed out on the sofa. Her arms were folded tightly under her chest, and a scowl was firmly seated on her face. She turned to Eric.

"I am so ready to get out of here. You know where Al is?"

"Sorry, Bells, last time I saw her she was out by the pool talking to some blonde dude."

Bella stood quickly and marched out of the sliding glass door onto the patio beside the pool. She spotted Alice talking animatedly to a cute looking blonde guy about their age. As she started across the cement to get Alice's attention, she froze in her tracks when _he_ joined the two of them in their conversation. She started to turn around, but before she could make her escape, Alice spotted her.

"Hey B! Come over here. I have someone I'd like to introduce to you." Bella pivoted slowly on her heels and plodded over to where Alice stood. "Bella, this is Jasper Whitlock, and friend Edward . . ."

"Cullen," he finished her sentence and held his hand out to Bella. She tucked her hands into her pockets.

"We've met."

"We have?" He raised his eyebrows questioningly.

"Yeah, we have Biology together." She saw the recognition light up his face.

"Oh, yeah. You sit near the front right?"

"And you sit near the back." She answered him sharply. She glared at him as their conversation continued. After a few minutes, she turned to Alice, "Hey Al, I'm ready to go home."

"Alright, B. Hey Jasper, you got a cell phone?"

He smiled in a friendly way and tossed her a small silver phon. She slid it open and punched in a quick combination of numbers and letters before handing it back. "Call me later, okay?"

"Sure thing," he grinned, and Alice wiggled her fingers to wave goodbye as Bella drug her back inside.

"What's wrong with you? You acted like Edward Cullen had cooties or something." Alice stopped in her tracks, refusing to move another inch before Bella gave her an answer.

"He's an asshole . . ." She frowned and looked down at the floor.

"He seemed nice to me."

"Well, I guess you don't know him very well."

"Whatever, B. I need to go get my purse out of the bedroom before we leave." Alice pulled her hand from Bella's and headed for the bedroom at the back of the apartment.

Bella sank into the chair she had recently vacated. Eric had disappeared, and the girl was still sleeping. So, for the moment, she was alone. She heard familiar voices approaching behind her, and she froze pressing herself against the back of the chair.

"That Alice seems like a pretty cool girl." She recognized the voice as Jasper's.

"She's alright, but what about that friend of hers?" _He_ asked.

"Oh, I don't think she likes you very much ."

"Guess not, she seemed like a real bitch . . ." Bella felt her heart turn to ice in her chest. The two young men continued walking, and their voices were lost in the crowd. Bella could feel the blood rising in her cheeks, and she dropped her head into her hands fighting to hold back the tears. That settled it, she _hated_ Edward Cullen.

**Two weeks later:**

Bella sat quietly tapping a pencil on top of the desk she occupied in the small room that housed the tutoring center. The rest of the desks in the room sat empty. The boys who normally worked here with her were all sick with the flu, which had also struck most of the student population. So, her afternoon had been mostly uneventful. She glanced up at the clock:

_3:45_

That meant that in fifteen minutes she was free to go home. She heard the door open and close behind her and turned to see who had entered the room. There framed in the light beaming through the window of the door stood _**him**_. She felt anger flare up in her chest, but she pushed it away before it reached her throat and caused her to say something that she might regret. She pushed herself up with her palms against the top of the desk before she spoke.

"Can I help you?" She spoke sharply biting the words off as soon as they left her mouth.

He stared at her for a moment seeming to hesitate before he answered her. "Hi to you, too. Bella, right?"

She gathered her thoughts and spoke a little less harshly. "Yeah. And you're Edward Cullen, I remember. So what can I do for you?"

He smiled brightly as her speech became more friendly, and she was startled to discover how dazzling his smile could be. She saw his lips begin to move, but it took her brain a second to register what he was saying.

"You're in my Biology class right?"

She let the words sink in until she was sure of their meaning before she answered, and he stared at her like she was just a little bit crazy when she didn't respond right away. Finally, she said, "Umm, yeah. Professor Boggs, so?"

"Well, I missed a few classes, and I was wondering if there was any way I could copy your notes, so I can catch up on what I missed."

"I guess. How many classes have you missed?" It seemed like a reasonable request to her, even though the last time she had seen him he called her a bitch behind her back. Of course she had been kind of bitchy at the time. She realized he was answering her, and tried to focus her attention on his answer.

"Four . . ." Four classes would have meant that he hadn't been to class since the day after the party where she had been officially introduced to him. She too shocked to speak for a moment, but only a moment. When she could finally form words again, everything she was thinking came pouring out of her mouth in a torrent.

"Four? Four classes? What the hell were you doing to miss four classes? Wait a minute. Don't answer that. I don't even want to know. I'm sorry if you couldn't roll out from whatever blonde sorority slut you were pinned under to attend an eight o'clock class every morning, but I'm certainly not going to be the person who enables you to go out and party til all hours of the night, only to drag your drunken ass home just in time to crash and oversleep to miss Biology." Bella felt the blood rising to her face to match the rising volume of her voice as she completely lost her cool.

"You know, I don't even know why I bothered to come by here and ask you. I figured that you were just having a bad night when I met you at that party, but I can see now that you really are just that evil. Thanks for nothing." Before Bella could open her mouth to respond he turned and left the room slamming the door behind him.

_Why do I have to be such a bitch all the time?_

Bella suffered through the last forty-five minutes of her time before nearly running back to her dorm. When she reached the top of the stairs she rushed into her room and collapsed on the bed letting go a flood of tears. She sobbed so loudly that Alice came tearing through the bathroom to find out what was wrong. When Alice laid eyes on Bella sitting there crying on the bed, she didn't say a thing. She merely climbed onto the bed next to her and wrapped her arms around Bella's shoulders.

Bella collapsed laying her head down on Alice's lap and just let the tears flow. She cried for everything she'd been through in her entire life that led her to be the person she was now. All the teasing and taunts she'd suffered coming through school in Forks that had caused her to build up a shield of armor around herself. All the snide comments and rude remarks that had come her way since she began attending Dartmouth that made her harden her heart against nearly everyone here.

And as the tears flowed down her face she began to feel some of that exterior melt away. What must she be missing out on because she kept everyone except the most persistent people at arm's length? Even she didn't know the answer to that one. She looked up at Alice's concerned face in awe that this little person had put up with her for so long.

Bella sat up slowly wiping the tears from her face and wrapped her arms around Alice in a bear hug. "Thanks, Al. I needed that," she murmured into Alice's hair before unwrapping herself.

"Now, do you mind telling me what that was all about?" Alice pushed Bella back slightly studying her face, and Bella took in a deep breath before letting the words out in a rush.

"IkindofyelledatEdwardCullen . . ."

"Whoa, wait a minute. You did what?" Alice sounded exactly like one of Bella's parents as she spoke.

"I yelled at Edward Cullen." Bella looked down at the floor feeling ashamed of her childish behavior.

"B, why did you do that?"

"You remember the other day after the party when I heard him talking to Jasper about me?" Alice nodded silently in response. "Well, he came into the tutoring center today and asked to borrow my Biology notes since he's missed the last four classes, and I let him have it. I guess I was still upset about what happened." Bella had told Alice about what she had overheard that night, and they'd both agreed that Edward was an asshole for saying that out loud. But Alice had also given Bella a hard time about her behavior that night too. Bella still couldn't bring herself to explain to Alice why she hated Edward Cullen. Honestly, she wasn't even sure she knew why herself.

"Sweetie, do you even know where he's been the past week and a half?"

Bella shook her head gently not sure she wanted to know where this conversation was going. She already felt like an ass, and she had an idea that this was going to make it that much worse. Alice had been out with Jasper three times since that night, and it really looked like the two of them were hitting it off. Of course, since Edward was Jasper's best friend, Alice would know where he had been and what he had been up to. Bella wished that she could keep this picture of Playboy Edward in her head and continue hating him, so she didn't have to hate herself for being such an awful person.

"Okay, I need you to listen to me. I'm going to tell you something, but you have to promise to never let anyone know that I told you. Jasper swore me to secrecy, and I'm only telling you this for your own good. Do you promise?"

Bella silently crossed her heart unable to gather enough energy to speak.

Alice continued, "Do you know who his dad is?"

Bella shook her head. "No, but I read some Dr. Carlisle Cullen's name on the premed building. I was guessing they were related."

"Umm, yeah, well that's his father, sort of. Okay, B. Edward is adopted. Him and his sister Rosalie were adopted by Dr. and Mrs. Cullen like seven years ago when they were twelve years old. They're not really related which explains why they look nothing alike."

"Hold on a minute. Edward has a sister?"

"Yeah, she's in your Biology class too? You haven't met her? She's tall, blonde, looks like a model."

A jolt of realization hit Bella. The gorgeous girl that Edward kept walking in with was his sister. Jesus, she could be such an idiot for someone so smart. "Oh, yeah. I've seen her around . . ."

"Anyway, they were at a group home together where Dr. Cullen volunteered while he was in medical school, and when he got out of school and married Mrs. Cullen they decided to adopt them." Bella could feel her heart sinking in her chest. None of this was turning out like she expected.

"What happened to his parents?" Bella nearly whispered, not sure she wanted to know the answer to this question either.

"Child Protective Services took him away from his parents when he was five years old. He was bounced around from foster home to foster home until he was nine or so, and he wound up at the group home when there were no more foster homes available. Bella, his mom died last week. He went back home to make the funeral arrangements. His dad died a few years ago. His parents were addicts, and his mom died of an overdose."

"Alice, I have been such a bitch. I would never have yelled at him like that if I'd known. I just assumed he was one of them. . . You know the rich kids who have everything they ever wanted handed to them on a silver platter."

"I know, B. But he won't even let the Cullen's pay for his education. He went to public school after they adopted him, and he's here on a scholarship."

The two of them were more alike than she knew, and in all honesty, he'd probably had a much rougher life than she'd ever experienced. What were a few taunts from classmates, when you had a family you could depend on? Edward hadn't even had that until he was a teenager. She now felt like she should have the word bitch tattooed across her forehead for the entire world to see.

"Al, how am I going to face him tomorrow morning in Biology?"

"I don't know honey, but you're going to have to face it. You should apologize you know. Do you want his number?"

"No," she answered a little too quickly the blood pooling in her cheeks. "No, I"ll just talk to him in the morning."

"Suit yourself," Alice smiled knowingly leaning back against the headboard and grabbing Bella's cell phone from the night stand, "but just in case . . ." She quickly punched in a few numbers followed by a name into the contacts. "There. Now promise me you won't erase it."

"I'm not promising you anything Alice Brandon. Why did you do that?" Bella's hands went to her hips.

"You never know when you might want to use it now do you?" Alice smiled. "Besides, I think you have a crush on him, so it might come in handy one day when get enough balls to actually be nice to him."

"Jesus, Alice. Thanks a lot," Bella replied sarcastically rolling her eyes back in her head, but her heart knew that there was more truth in Alice's words than she wanted to admit. She did have a thing for Edward Cullen, and now that she knew there was more behind that beautiful face than just another set of rich parents she was starting to let her imagination get out of control.

_If he's here on scholarship, then he's got to be smart . . . _

_On top of being gorgeous. . ._

_Mmmm, on top . . . _

_Oh, my God, did I just think about being on top of Edward Cullen . . . _

_Bella, shut up!_

She glanced up at Alice and laughed at the huge grin that was spread across her tiny face.

"Oh my God, you do have a crush on him. I was just kidding earlier, but you really do." Alice laughed. "B, you've got it bad don't you?"

Bella pressed her bottom lip between her front teeth and nodded.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I don't know . . . I just . . . it's not like . . . ughh . . ." Bella simply threw her hands up in the air at a loss for words.

"Okay that settles it. You are coming out with me tonight. It's a Friday night anyway, and you don't have any classes until Monday at eight. Now get yourself in the shower." Alice stood and grabbed Bella's hands attempting to pull her up from the bed.

"But . . ." Bella attempted to argue but was cut off in midsentence.

"Don't but me. Just get in the shower now." Bella finally stood and allowed Alice to pull her into the bathroom. She simply stood on the small yellow rug that lined the white floor tiles as Alice reached in and adjusted the water to a comfortable temperature. "Now, get your butt in there, and don't come out until you've washed _and_ conditioned that hair of yours. And don't try to get away, because I'll be listening. You have five minutes after the water goes off to get yourself into my room."

Bella opened and closed her mouth like a fish out of water attempting to form an argument but was completely unable to complete a coherent thought. After a few moments, she simply nodded and allowed Alice to pull the bathroom door closed behind her. When Alice closed the door between the two of them softly, she gently peeled her jeans and underwear to the floor quickly followed by her t-shirt. She tossed them haphazardly into a corner, and climbed gingerly into the shower.

Bella pulled the door closed behind her and let the warm water flow over her shoulders and back. As it coursed down her body, she allowed the tension that she had been holding in her small frame follow the water down the drain. As she relaxed, the images that she had been trying to suppress came rushing back into her mind.

She imagined herself alone in the tutoring center with _him_, and instead of ending the argument with a slamming door, he grabbed her pinning her entire body against the wall behind them as his hands wound themselves into her hair releasing it from the sloppy ponytail that had scarcely contained it only a few moments before. Her hands twined around his back pulling him even closer to her body until the two of them melted together, and it became impossible to tell where he ended and she began.

She continued on in her daydream until th water splashing in her face woke her out of her reverie. She snorted clearing the water from her nostrils and leaned over to pick up the shampoo from the small shelf in the shower. She gently lathered her long, brown curls and allowed the water to gently rinse the suds from her hair quickly followed by conditioner down the drain. After the soap was completely rinsed from her body, she deftly turned the knobs and the flow of water came to a stop.

Climbing out of the shower and reaching for one of the fluffy yellow towels that Alice left sitting for her on the toilet, she wrapped the terrycloth around her body to stop the water that was dripping down her legs. Once she had secured the first towel across her chest, she wrapped the second around her soaking wet hair and walked over to the mirror that was covered in condensation from the humidity of the room. Quickly, she wiped a stripe across the glass with her hand and examined herself in the mirror. Without her glasses framing her eyes, she thought she didn't look half bad. Before she could go any deeper with her thoughts, she heard Alice's voice from behind the door to her left.

"Get in here now, Bella Swan, or I am coming in there after you." With those words she opened the door and gracefully went forward to accept her fate.

Forty five minutes later, Bell found herself standing in the hallway waiting outside of Alice's door. She scowled and tugged at the hem of the dress that Alice had forced her into. It was a deep midnight blue with ruffles around the hem, but much too short for Bella's taste. Of course, anything shorter than a pair of blue jeans was too short in her mind. She hadn't worn a dress since, well, since. . .

She couldn't remember the last time she had worn a dress, or even a skirt for that matter. Bella scowled and leaned against the wall behind her. Her hair flowed down her back and caught behind her as she rested there. Outside of its accustomed ponytail, she was unfamiliar with how to deal with it.

Bella heard the sound of the door closing behind her and turned to see Alice emerging from her dorm room in a black dress that hugged her tiny body.

"Al, do I really have to go?" Bella could hear the whiny tone of her own voice.

"Yes, and quit whining. It's not attractive." Alice pulled her cell phone out of the small purse she carried and flipped it open.

"Where are we going anyway? You know neither of us is old enough to drink . . ."

"Will you just quit? Don't worry about where we're going. I know some people, let's just leave it at that. You don't have to worry about being underage."

"Ughh. Besides I look like a clown."

"Okay, you don't trust me? You need a second opinion? Hold still a minute." Alice held up the phone, and Bella heard the click of her camera snapping a picture followed by the sounds of her keytones as she punched in a quick succession of numbers and snapped the phone shut.

"Who did you just send that to?"

"Jasper."

"You have got to be kidding me. He's going to rupture something laughing at me. You must seriously hate me, Al." She heard the tweeting sound of Alice's phone from her hand, and felt the blood rushing to her cheeks as she planted her face in the palm of her hand. She heard a sound and dared a peek from between her fingers as Alice's face broke into a bright grin followed quickly by her musical laughter.

"What?" Alice didn't answer her for a moment but continued her laughter as she read the text message that had just appeared on her phone. "What?" Bella repeated herself sounding for the world like a spoiled child.

"He wants to know who my hot new friend is and what we did with Bella." Bella grabbed for the phone in Alice's hand snatching it quickly away to look at the tiny screen. Alice hadn't been lying and scrolling down Bella could see why. There looking back at her from the screen was a girl who resembled something from Vogue magazine much more than any of the pictures of herself she had ever seen. Alice had made her take off her glasses and put on the contacts that had lain unused in her medicine cabinet since her last visit to the optometrist . On top of that she had spent the last fifteen minutes of her torture session planted in a chair facing Alice on the bed while Alice meticulously applied a generous amount of make up to her face.

The result was that the girl frowning back at her from the phone was completely unrecognizable. Bella took in a deep breath and felt her heart slowing down and the blood draining from her burning face.

"Do you trust me now?" Alice looked at her with eyebrows raised in a questioning look.

"I always trusted you, Al. I just don't trust myself."

"B, shut up and get over it. You look gorgeous, and it's always been there under the surface. You're a beautiful person when you stop whining and bitching and just accept it. Of course, I fear for the straight, male population of Dartmouth if you should ever give up all your vices and turn into a normal human being. But, just for this one night, will you drop all the fences and let the armor go? You might be surprised where it takes you." Bella looked at her friend for awhile before she was able to speak. No one had ever been so honest with her in her entire life, and it forced her to take a hard look at herself.

"Okay, Al. I promise to lay off it for one night. I make no promises about tomorrow, but for tonight at least I will be a normal non-bitchy human being. Will that make you happy?" She grinned a huge grin admitting to herself that she had been rather whiny and bitchy over the past few weeks and thanking her lucky stars that she had a friend good enough to put up with all of it.

Alice squealed softly grabbing Bella's hand and pulling her towards the stairwell. "You're going to have the time of your life, B. I promise."

Alice had breezed through the front door, dragging Bella behind her, with just a smile and a wave at the young man that stood there. He didn't bat an eye at her or even say a word as she bypassed the line of twenty-somethings that was forming outside the door. Bella walked shyly behind Alice into the entrance of the darkened room. The music played so loudly that it seemed to sink into everything in the room and fill it all with the thrumming rhythm that was pumping out of the speakers that surrounded the room.

Alice leaned forward to speak directly into Bella's ear. The music drowned out all outside noise to the point where Alice had to yell for Bella to make out even half of what she was saying. "What do you want to drink?"

Bella shrugged and looked questioningly at Alice, "I don't know."

"Oh my God, B. Please don't tell me you've never drank before."

"A couple of times. . ."

"Okay, I got you. I'll be right back."

Bella found her way over to one of the tables that surrounded the lighted dance floor and gently slid her body down into one of the skinny black chairs. She glanced around the room. The dance floor was full of people moving their bodies to the music that was still blaring nonstop form the speakers. She rested her head on her hand completely unsure of herself and glanced down at the table running her finger along a small scratch that had been made in once corner of the table's surface. She was caught completely unawares by a hand on her shoulder.

"Hi," a familiar voice hit her ears, and she felt a jolt of electricity travel down her spine that sent her whole body tingling out of control. "Your friend over there asked me to bring this over to you. She got a little caught up talking to Jasper." A hand appeared from behind her and set a bright pink drink in a martini glass on the table in front of her.

_I am going to kill Alice when we get home. There is no way that Edward Cullen and Jasper Whitlock magically appeared at the same club that Alice had dragged her to on the same night at the same time. This reeked of Alice's touch. Blunt. . ._

She grabbed the glass and took a mouthful of the liquid inside quickly swallowing it down. It burned as it traveled down the length of her throat, and she came quickly began coughing and sputtering as soon as her airways were clear of the liquid. She heard a laughter behind her and felt the anger flare up in her chest again at the sound of it.

Bella whirled around in her chair to face him, her eyes blazing with fire, but as soon as her eyes found his she froze. She'd never actually taken the opportunity to look Edward Cullen directly in the eye, and now that she was so close to him knowing what she did of his life story what she saw there caused the ice in her heart to melt instantly.

"Not much of a drinker are you?" He smiled down at her, and she shook her head gently.

"Actuallyit'smyfirstone. . .,"she mumbled under her breath knowing that he wouldn't be able to catch it over the blaring music. Unfortunately, the DJ chose that exact moment in time to allow a lull between songs, so her words came through loud and clear in the sudden silence of the room. She felt the blood rush to her cheeks again in embarrassment as he pulled out the chair next to her and quickly sat down.

"Oh God, don't be embarrassed." He pleaded with her quietly. "No one heard you but me, and I think it's actually kind of cool that you waited this long to try. You look nice tonight, by the way."

"Thanks. Alice dressed me." She looked down at the dress that hugged her torso flipping her long brown curls over one shoulder as she did so. She heard him inhale sharply, and the music started up its relentless beat again. He leaned in so that she could hear him as he spoke.

"I'm sorry about this afternoon."

"Sorry? You're sorry. Why are you sorry? I'm the one who should be apologizing. I blew up at you without even asking why you had missed so many classes. I just assumed…"

"You just assumed that everything you'd ever heard about me was true."

She nodded and looked down at her feet. They sat in silence for awhile listening to the music and watching the people on the dance floor in front of them. Bella slowly worked on the drink in her hand taking small sips to minimize the burn as the liquid trailed down towards her stomach. She could feel the warmth spreading slowly throughout her body as the drink began taking effect on her system.

"I know it's not all true though, what people say about you, I mean. Alice told me that you and your sister were adopted a few years ago. You're not one of them . . ."

"Who's them?"

"The rich spoiled kids, who always got whatever they wanted without ever having to work for it."

"Oh, yeah, I guess I know what you mean. . ." He sat without speaking again as a slower tempoed song came across the speakers. He turned to look at her, "So, do you want to dance?"

She snorted. "It's going to take a lot more than one drink to get me on that dance floor."

"Well, let's see what we can do about that." He stood up and walked back towards the bar and returned with another glass. This one was filled with a greenish concoction and topped with a cherry. He set it down on the table in front of you. "That one ought to be a little easier on you. I don't think it will taste as strong."

She held the glass up in front of her warily. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you're trying to get me drunk."

He held up his hands in front of him in a surrendering gesture. "Not me. Just trying to get you loosened up enough to dance with me."

"Why would you want to dance with me?"

"Because, I think you're smart, and when you're not yelling at me about something you're pretty."

She could feel her heart skip a beat at his words. "Pretty?"

"Yeah, pretty. Don't tell me you don't know you're pretty?"

"Oh, it's just because Alice spent an hour getting me all dolled up to come out here." She quickly grabbed the drink in front of her taking a sip. The taste was fruity, and she could sense the hint of alcohol in it. But there was none of the burn from the pink thing that Alice had sent over to the table. She ventured to look up into Edward's face just as he began his response.

"Tonight, you're gorgeous, but everyday I think you're pretty." She took a deep drink swallowing loudly.

"I think I've had more to drink that I should have. I must be hearing things."

"What?"

"I could have sword you just told me you think I'm pretty everyday." She laughed.

"I did. Why don't you know that about yourself?"

"I've always been the smart girl, the one you asked to be your lab partner, but not your prom date. I went to my senior prom with my best friend who was two years younger than I was. Jake . . ."She laughed at the memory. "I haven't had a single date since I arrived in New Hampshire. Not even an offer. So, trust me, when you tell me that I'm pretty it makes me want to take you to have your eyes checked."

"Aww, they were just intimidated by your stunning good looks matched with that winning personality. Or did you dazzle them the way you tried to dazzle me this afternoon."

"Very funny."

"I was just kidding. If you believed half the things that are going around the campus about me, then I can understand why you said what you said. In all honesty, I haven't had a single date since I got to New Hampshire either." He smiled in an offhand manner.

"Yeah, right!

"Okay, finish that drink then, because I'm going to have you on that dance floor before the night is done with, and you will change your mind before I am done with you."

"Good luck." She took another sip of the drink and laughed.

"Well, at least you're laughing. That's a good sign right?"

"I guess so."

They continued their back and forth banter for some time, and before Bella realized it the glass on the table in front of her was empty. The song again switched to something slow, and Edward stood up reaching his hand down towards her.

"Will you dance with me now?" His bright green eyes searched hers for the answer he was looking for. She could feel something inside of her give way, and the last of her ability to resist him was gone. She wasn't sure if it was the alcohol or him that had her so intoxicated, and frankly she was beyond caring.

She put her hands in his and stood a little shakily. He put his hand at her waist to steady her as they made their way out on the dance floor, and when he made contact it was like a circuit completed allowing an electrical current to flow throughout her body. The music was pushed out of her ears by the sound of her own blood rushing through them.

They reached an empty spot on the floor, and she turned to face him placing her hands on his shoulders. His hands made their way down to her waist, and the two of them began moving back and forth to the rhythm of the music that wove itself around the two of them. Every place where their bodies touched burned, and after a few seconds it was as if the rest of the world began to disappear.

Bella had always been so clumsy, but in Edward's arms she felt graceful for the first time in her life. She didn't stumble or trip over her own feet. Even in the heels that Alice had strapped onto her feet, she felt as if she were walking on a cloud rather than a wooden floor. The song played on for a few minutes that seemed to drag on into hours, and when it came to an end the two of them reluctantly split and began the walk back to where they had come from without a word.

When they returned to the table, Alice was sitting there with Jasper waiting for her to return with another drink in hand smiling like a Cheshire cat. Bella returned the grin and slid into the seat next to Alice quickly grabbing the drink she held out in her extended hand.

"Thanks," she whispered into Alice's ear. "If you're responsible for all of this, then thank you, you meddling heifer." She took a quick swallow of the drink feeling the warmth spreading throughout her body as the liquid flowed through her veins. The rest of the night began to pass in something of a blur, and before she knew it she found herself back on the dance floor leaning heavily on Edward's arm around her waist and laughing like a hyena. Suddenly everything in the world was hilarious from the way his hair curled around his face to the pattern of the floor tiles, and she could scarcely stifle her giggles long enough to make it off the dance floor.

"You okay, Bella?"

"Yeah," she laughed. "I think so." She staggered over to the table where Alice sat leaning on Jasper's shoulder and plopped down on her friend's lap. "Hey, Al. I feel funny."

"S'cause your drunk, B." Bella giggled in response and leaned her head down on Alice's both of them now laughing uncontrollably. "You ready to go home yet?"

"No." She felt her heart fall in her chest at the suggestion of leaving. For the first time in forever she was actually having a good time. Edward Cullen was being nice to her, nicer than she could remember any guy ever being, and she actually felt like she belonged in this group of people. She never felt that way outside of the tutoring center. "I'm having a good time."

"I know right." Alice whispered in Bella's ear, "How's it going?"

Bella leaned in a little closer, "Good, I think."

"You want me to get him to take you home?"

"Oh, God. Al, I don't know. I don't think . . ."

"Shut up and quit thinking. You think way too much," Alice hissed into Bella's ear. "Just go with me on this one. Stand up. . ." Alice grabbed Bella around the waist and forced her to stand causing her to stumble backwards into Edward. He reached out and caught her before she was able to trip over her own feet and fall flat on her face.

"Jazz," Alice leaned over towards where he sat. "Let's go back to your place and hang out for awhile just you and me."

"What about Bella? How's she going to get back home? I mean, I thought you two came together."

"Oh, sorry B. Umm. . ."

"I can take her home Alice. You two shouldn't be driving anyway."

"Well, that would be really sweet of you Edward. There's just one problem." Alice beamed up at him. "It's after curfew in our dorm, so the night guard is going to be on duty by the front door, and if Bella comes in . . . like that . . . she is going to get in some major trouble since she's only 18."

"Oh," Edward nodded thoughtfully. "Well, I guess she could come and sleep it off at my place. My sister is out of town for the weekend, and you could use her room." He looked questioningly at Bella who promptly turned pink and began stammering.

"I . . . well. . . I. . ."

"She'd love to. Thanks, Edward." Alice stood gently pulling Jasper behind her. "See you in the morning, B," she called behind her as they strode out of the room.

Bella woke the next morning with the sun shining at an unfamiliar angle on her face. She reached her arms out expecting to hit the wall next to her bed with the knuckles of her left hand, but they hit nothing but air. On her right, her hand stretched out across sheets much farther than her single bed should have extended. She pried open her eyes gently ignoring the dull throbbing ache in her head. She looked curiously around the unfamiliar room.

_Where am I, and how did I get here?_

Her eyes drank in the early morning sunlight reflecting gently off the cream colored walls and falling in gentle waves on the chocolate brown comforter that rested across her chest. Her attention turned to the t-shirt that she didn't recognize covering her torso. She looked down at the black shirt that was at least two sizes too large for her frame lifting the sheets gently to check out the rest of her body.

_Ok, I remember going to the club last night, but . . ._

Her legs were naked beneath the sheets, and Bella spied the tiny pair of underwear that Alice forced her into the previous night peeking out from beneath the hem of the t-shirt. Suddenly the scent of bacon frying wafted in through the open door. She threw the covers back and sat up rubbing the last of the sleep from her eyes. Turning, she gingerly placed her feet on the floor and slowly rose testing out her footing before she pushed herself completely free of the bed.

The change in position caused her head to throb anew, and she reached up grabbing a handful of hair near her left temple. The sun streaming in through the windows was suddenly more than her brain could handle, and she had to close her eyes for a moment to allow the world to come back to equilibrium before she was able to move.

_What in the hell did I do last night?_

_Well, hopefully you did Edward Cullen . . ._

_Shut up!_

There was a white tiled bathroom off to her right, and Bella gently made her way into the bathroom surprised to find a bottle of aspirin and a cup of water sitting on the counter next to the sink next to a note.

_**Thought you might need these this morning. **_

_**E**_

_E? E? Who is E? E. . ._

_Oh. My. God._

_E is . .._

_**Him. ..**_

_B, you're at his place._

_How did I get here?_

_I don't know, but . . ._

_But what?_

_Oh, nothing, it just couldn't have been that spectacular if I can't remember anything._

_Either that or . . ._

_Or what?_

_It was so great that you have amnesia._

_SHUT UP!_

She pried open the bottle and grabbed two of the tiny white pills popping them into her mouth and chasing them with a generous swallow of water from the glass. She stepped over to the sink and leaned over it washing her face to remove the thick layer of makeup that still remained from last night. The sound of the water running must have attracted some attention from the occupant of the kitchen. Bella heard a familiar voice call through the open door.

"Glad you're up. I'm making pancakes and bacon, come on in whenever you're ready to eat." She straightened up pulling the large t-shirt down around her body until it covered as much of her body as the dress she now found on a hanger hanging off the bottom edge of the bed.

Bella tiptoed across the carpeted floor gently peeking around the corner of the door frame. Into her vision swam what was possibly the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. At the stove standing barefoot on the black and white checkered linoleum was a shirtless Edward Cullen flipping pancakes into the air one by one. She stood stock still, frozen for a few minutes merely watching the muscles in his arms ripple the he movements of the spatula on the griddle.

The way he moved was like poetry, and Bella was about to become completely mesmerized before he turned and noticed her standing there. His look of concentration broke into a grin when he saw her face.

"Good morning. How do you feel?"

"Oh, great. Just wondering if you got the license plate number of that truck that hit me though." She answered him sarcastically

"You'd better watch out with that sunny disposition Bella, or you're gonna lose your reputation."

"My reputation for what?" Her hands went automatically to her hips, and her face scrunched up with consternation.

"For being an evil harpy."

Bella felt a familiar surge of anger flare up at his comment until she looked at his face and found the huge grin that sat upon it.

_Don't be a btich, B. Find out what happened last night._

_Ok, on it._

"So umm. . . hope you don't mind me asking, but . . . where the hell are we?" She blurted the last part of the sentence quickly looking down at her hands when she spoke. She wasn't sure she wanted to know the answer to that question.

He chuckled gently returning to the pans that lined the stove in front of him and flipping one of the pancakes before speaking. "My apartment."

"And how, exactly, did we wind up here?"

"I drove." He answered her tersely concentrating on the task before him instead of looking her in the face.

"Well, the last thing I remember, Alice was leaving with Jasper, and you were agreeing to take me home."

"You don't remember _anything_ after that? Darn, I feel insulted."

Bella felt the blood rushing to her face for the millionth time in the past twenty-four hours, and all of them caused by _him. _ When did she start letting another person have that much of an affect on her?

_A long time ago darling. . ._

_What are you talking about now?_

_He had an affect on you the first time you saw that perfect smile walking across the courtyard, and you're just too stubborn to admit it._

_No way._

_Yes, way . . ._

_Oh my God, you're right. . ._

_I always am._

She walked slowly into the kitchen and leaned against the counter next to where he was cooking. It felt as if there were a magnet in her stomach that was drawn to the spot where he stood. She could actually feel a physical ache to be closer to him, but couldn't bring herself to make a move for fear he would shy away. Her hand instinctively traveled up to brush her hair back out of her face, and returned to its place on the counter top. She pulled herself up to sit on the countertop careful to slide the shirt underneath her body to avoid exposing any more of her legs than were already visible and pressed her hands between her knees letting her feet dangle a couple of feet above the floor.

She saw his head turn at her sudden movement. His eyes lingered a little longer than necessary at the skin near the hemline of the shirt before turning his attention back to the contents of the frying pan he held in his right hand. Bella felt a rush of blood in her ears when she saw the look on his face.

_Did you see the way he was looking at me?_

_Yeah, like he wanted to be between your knees instead of your hands._

"Please tell me I didn't do anything too stupid last night." She looked at his profile as she spoke, and saw his facial muscles twitch as he struggled not to laugh.

"Depends on your definition of stupid, I guess," he answered grinning.

"Oh my God, please . . ."

"Don't freak out," he interrupted her. "You were alright. I couldn't take you back to your dorm since the RA on duty would have busted you for going out drinking, so I brought you back to my place. My sister is out of town visiting some friends, so I let you sleep in her room last night. You changed yourself into one of my t-shirts and passed out on the bed. But not before you kissed me . . ."

"I what? You're kidding me?" She pressed her hands against her face rubbing her eyes hard as though trying to make the memory come back to herself. Try as she might, there was no recollection of anything after seeing Alice leave the bar with Jasper last night, so she decided she was going to have to trust _him_.

"It's okay. I didn't mind."

"Oh, I guess your girlfriend won't mind either." She was fishing for information with that one. If he answered this one the wrong way then she was about to get out the door as fast as possible.

"Don't have one." He answered her quickly.

_Right answer._

"Oh, well who's the girl you come to class with everyday?" _Oh, you know good and well who that one is Bella!_

"That's my sister, Rose, you know the one whose bed you slept in last night?"

"Oh, yeah, sorry."

"Don't be sorry. I guess you have a pretty good excuse for not remembering. How's your head?"

"Better now. Thanks for the aspirin."

"You're welcome."The polite conversation was starting to get to Bella, since the only thing she could think about was grabbing him and dragging him over to her right now. It infuriated her to no end that she couldn't remember any of what happened after Alice's departure last night especially the kiss. She had played out that scenario a million times in her mind, and now that it had actually happened she wanted nothing more than to be able to relive it in her memories.

G_uess you'll just have to make some new memories, B._

_Guess so. . ._

_How about a little breakfast?_

_Sounds good . . ._

She looked over at Edward who was twisting the knobs on the stove off after removing the last pancake from the griddle. The food he had been cooking was stacked neatly on the plates next to the stove opposite where Bella was sitting. She carefully reached over the hot stove to grab a piece of bacon from the stack. Her chest rubbed against his own as she stretched and nearly lost her balance. He instinctively reached out wrapping his arms around her body to keep her from falling. He stepped agilely to the right to bring her back to her starting position on the counter top.

When they came to a stop, Edward's body was planted firmly between Bella's thighs, his arms wrapped around her waist, and his face mere inches from her own. She could taste his breath on her lips and felt the same magnetic pull between their bodies that had drawn her into the kitchen to begin with. The distance between them was closing slowly at first, but with an ever increasing speed.

After a few agonizingly slow seconds, their lips met her arms snaking around his neck, and her fingers weaving their way into the mass of curls that surrounded his head like a halo glittering in the morning light. Her legs wrapped around his own pulling him even closer as their mouths locked together in a feverish battle. His hands slid down her body to the skin of her bare legs causing her entire body to shudder.

She could taste the coffee she had seen in the cup on the opposite side of the stove on his breath along with a hint of vanilla. Her tongue darted out to taste the wet sweetness of him again brushing against his lips softly. Her heart skipped a beat when his hands slid even farther up her thighs lifting the hem of the t-shirt and exposing the vee created by her panties. His hands wrapped around her body sliding her forward on the counter and pressing himself into the warmth of her body.

"Mmm . . ." she moaned into this mouth as she felt the length of him against her panties and pressed herself against him arching her hips forward. Her hands ran down the length of his back feeling the skin there covering the hardened muscles like velvet over iron, and she felt her whole body begin to unwind. Her eyes drifted shut, and she surrendered herself to the sensations rippling through her body.

Edward's hands kneaded her body hungrily as the kisses continued growing more and more frantic. Suddenly she felt them slide underneath her lifting her bodily from the countertop. She tightened her grip on him as he walked with her wrapped around his waist to the nearby couch and laid her gently down on the cushions there. She unlocked her feet from behind his back and planted one foot on the floor with the other extended on the couch beside his body. He knelt between her knees and trailed a line of kisses from her lips down towards the edge of her jaw.

Bella's breath caught in her throat as the fire that she'd barely been able to keep in check for weeks roared uncontrollably through her veins. She could feel it beating its way through her heart and careening down to even her fingers and toes. For a moment a tiny piece of her brain tried to fight against what was happening to her, but the rest of her brain cells quickly quashed the rebellion before it could get out of hand.

When his lips brushed against her ear lobe she gasped audibly. Edward pushed himself up tearing his lips from her body.

"Oh my God, I'm sorry. I can't believe I . . ."

"Shut up." She reached up grabbing his face with both hands and pulled him back down to her. Their lips crashed together again with all the force of a tidal wave. Bella let go of any remnants of the reluctance she had felt and gave way to her body.

Edward's hand slid up her body again taking the t-shirt with it, and Bella felt her stomach slowly being exposed to the air. The cold of the air was quickly replaced by the heat of his body as he brought himself back down pressing her into the couch. The feel of his skin on hers became the focal point of her entire universe, and the rest of the world around her came to a grinding halt. The sound of her heart beating next to his drowned out any other noise that might have invaded her senses which were filled with the sight, smell, sound and taste of him.

Her legs instinctively found there way around his, and they began to tangle limbs in their frenzied kissing. She breathed in deeply as his lips once again left hers and found their way to her collarbone trailing liquid fire with them. At the same time, his hands traveled even further inside the shirt finally finding her breasts. The ache inside her body became a living thing struggling to be set free as his hands massaged her body.

She moaned gently into his hair breathing him into her nostrils and brought her body a few inches off the cushions of the couch. The shirt rode higher up her body exposing her chest. Edward took advantage of the opportunity her new position provided and pulled the shirt over her head in one swift movement tossing it to the floor.

His lips moved further down her body, his tongue trailing a line down towards her nipples replacing his hand. His fingers made their way down to her hipbone toying with the string of elastic that held her panties in place across her body. He hooked his fingertips over the top of them pulling them slightly askew as he began to explore her body.

Bella allowed herself to open her eyes and drink in the sight of her pale skin next to Edward's. The contrast between her white and his tan was beautiful. The sensation of his lips on her breast was the most electrifying feeling, and her body ached for closer contact with his.

His fingers found her clit as they dove deeper into her panties pulling them down slightly so that they bunched around her thighs. Bella moaned arching her back and thrusting her hips upwards to meet his hand. Edward's lips left her nipple and trailed kisses to her ear.

He whispered, "Do you know how gorgeous you are Bella?"

She shook her head gently too shy to answer him.

"Believe me. You are the most beautiful thing I have ever laid eyes on. I have dreamed about you so many times. This isn't a dream is it?"

"No," she whispered. "At least I hope not." As she spoke, his fingers dipped into her warmth causing her to gasp.

"Oh God, Bella. You're so hot." His voice in her ear caused her body to quiver around his fingers inside her. "Please tell me you want this as much as I do."

"Mmmm hmm," she moaned into his ear. He reached down with his free hand pulling her panties down around her knees and moving out of the way to pull them down across her feet. They quickly joined her shirt on the floor. His tongue trailed a path up her legs starting from the instep of her foot. He made his way up her thighs at a torturously slow pace lingering on each inch of skin there.

After what felt like an eternity his tongue found her clit lapping gently at the bundle of nerves. Electric shocks traveled from her pussy through the rest of her body with each stroke of his tongue on her. After a few moments, she felt his finger slide gently inside her pussy, and her body clenched against him as the feeling nearly drove her over the edge. After a few moments, he allowed a second finger to join the first.

He kept his fingers inside her as he spoke his lips moving against her clit, "You taste amazing, salty and sweet at the same time . . ." His hot breath on her body made her shake and caused goose bumps to raise on her chest and arms. He returned his attention to her clit taking it gently between his lips and sucking on it lightly. Bella thought she was going to pass out for a moment as her body tightened around his hand.

"Ungh," she groaned as her pussy tightened around his hand.

"Yes," he hissed against her clit. "Come for me, Bella."

His voice was all the urging she needed to fall over the cliff into her orgasm. Bella closed her eyes as her mind exploded. Her body shook with the intensity of her climax, and light exploded behind her eyelids. When she came back to herself, she found Edward trailing kisses up her abdomen and breast bone. He slowly reached her face pressing himself against her once again.

Bella reached down winding her hands into the fabric of his pajama pants pulling him even closer to her. She could feel his cock through the fabric, so hard she was surprised that he hadn't ripped through the material already. She hooked her fingers over the fabric at the top pulling down. He reached down helping her guide the pants down towards his feet and kicked them off into a corner of the couch.

Underneath the pants he was wearing nothing, so the only thing that stood between the two of them now were a few molecules of thick air. Edward leaned down over her body planting a kiss on her lips. She could smell herself on his lips, and the taste of him was so sweet.

"I want to be inside you," he breathed into her mouth. Bella wrapped her legs around him gently guiding his cock to her entrance. When he thrust himself inside of her, she felt as if she had fallen into a pool of water. "Oh, God. You feel so good." He pushed himself further in filling her up slowly.

Bella groaned as his hips met her own and he reversed his movement slowly pulling out of her completely before pushing his cock back into her again. No matter how far Bella had traveled in her dreams and daydreams, she had never been able to imagine anything like this. Her body was alternating between fire and ice as he pushed himself in and out of her pussy. She wrapped herself around him, their bodies becoming more and more tangled as the minutes dragged on.

She could feel the tension building in her abdomen with each thrust. His hips grinding against her own bringing her nerves to a crest. When the waves of pleasure began to crash around her, she found herself clenching around his cock inside her. Her hands dug into his back, and she arched her back pressing their bodies together again.

"Unghh, Bella, yes. Come for me again." Her pussy grabbed down on his cock rhythmically squeezing down on him as he continued to thrust into her. "Mmmm, baby. I'm going to come."

She could feel his thrusts growing in intensity until finally he groaned, his cock jerking inside her and filling her with warmth. He pressed his forehead to hers as he rode his climax to its end. After a moment he pulled himself from her body, and she felt empty again. She rolled over on to her side pressing her back against the back of the couch. He slid over next to her wrapping his arms around her body and drawing them close together and planted a kiss on her lips.

"You okay?"

"Mmm hmm." She nodded.

"You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that." He smiled at her gently tracing the outline of her jaw with one finger.

"What?" Bella was in shock. "I was such a bitch to you."

"Doesn't matter. I thought you were the most beautiful thing I had ever laid eyes on the first time I saw you." Bella felt her mouth drop open as she stared at his face. There was no trace of amusement there.

"You're joking right?"

"No," he answered her sincerely.

"You are the first person who ever said anything like that to me."

"I can't believe that." He smiled, planting another kiss on her forehead.

"Believe it. I had two boyfriends in high school and neither of them ever told me I was beautiful."

"Well you are, and if I ever hear you say otherwise you're going to have to answer to me." She laughed returning his kiss. They were interrupted by the sound of Bella's stomach grumbling.

Now it was his turn to laugh. "You must be hungry. Not sure if I remember correctly, but I think there's some breakfast around here somewhere."


End file.
